Recycling Vocabulary

Bale: A compacted and bound cube of recycled material such

as paper, scrap metal, or plastic bottles. It can weigh hundreds of
pounds.
Baler: Equipment that compacts and binds recyclable materials
to reduce volume and transportation costs.
Biodegradable: Organic material able to be broken down or
decompose chemically by bacteria under natural conditions and
processes.
Bottle Bill: The term for the law that requires deposits on
beverage containers.
Carbon Footprint: A tool for measuring the impact of a person,
product, or process on Earths climate; it refers to the amount of
greenhouse gases released.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): Family of inert, nontoxic and
easily liquefied chemicals manufactured for use as coolants,
cleaning solvents, plastic, aerosol propellants and foam insulation.
Commingled: Mixed recyclables that are collected or processed
together.
Compactor: Equipment that densifies recyclable material and
contains it under pressure, not allowing it to expand until it is
unloaded.
Compost: A rich organic product created by composting. This
soil like material has a high organic content and when added to
soil it increases the nutrient value.
Composting: Biodegradation of organic matter, such as yard and
food waste, that creates compost to be used on gardens.
Decomposition is performed mostly by bacteria, but also yeasts
and fungi.
Consumption: The process of using natural resources, materials,
or finished products to satisfy human wants or needs.
Decompose: To decay or rot.
Degradability: Ability of materials to break down, by bacterial
(biodegradable) or ultraviolet (photodegradable) action.
Disposable: Designed to be thrown away after use.
Ecological Footprint: The area of Earths productive surface
that it takes to produce the goods and services necessary to
support a particular lifestyle.
E-Waste: Electronic equipment that is no longer useful or is
obsolete, including computers, and TVs. Many components can be
recycled.
Environmental Impact: The effect a particular action or practice
has on the environment and/or its components (land, air, water).
Garbage: Unwanted material that is thrown away.
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE): Used to make plastic for
milk cartons, shampoo bottles, dish and laundry detergents
bottles, grocery bags, and other products. It produces toxic fumes
when burned. Often referred to as No.2 Plastic.
Hauler: An individual or company that collects and hauls
materials (recyclables, trash) from one place to another.
Hazardous Waste: Waste substances that cause special
problems because they are poisonous, explosive, corrosive,
radioactive, harbor disease-causing microorganisms, or are
dangerous for any other reason.
Landfill: A private or municipal site where non-hazardous solid or
municipal waste is buried.
Leaching: Process by which liquid from dissolved materials is
carried through the soil. This liquid may contain chemicals that
contaminate the ground or leak into the water system or surface
water.

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE): Used to make bags for dry

cleaning, newspapers, bread, frozen foods, fresh produce and
household garbage. It is also used to make squeezable bottles,
container lids, toys and packaging that requires shrink wrapping.
Often referred as No.4 Plastic.
Luxury: A material good or service that is not essential to a
persons life; an extravagance.
Materials Recovery Facility: A recycling facility that sorts and
processes collected mixed recyclables into individual streams for
market.
Methane: A colorless, odorless gas that is produce by
decomposition of organic material. It is commonly produced in a
landfill by decomposing waste and can be collected and burned as
fuel.
Midden: A pit in which trash or garbage is buried. Usually only
organic garbage.
Municipal Solid Waste: Residential and commercial trash and/or
garbage generated by a particular municipal area.
Necessity: A material good or service that is essential to a
persons life; something that is required.
Ozone Depletion: Destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer of
the earth's atmosphere due to the release of chlorofluorocarbons,
or CFCs, into the environment.
Paperboard: General term for heavyweight grades of paper that
are used for containers, boxes, cartons and packaging materials.
Plastic: Man-made material made from molecules (polymers)
containing hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen. It can be molded,
extruded, or cast into various shapes and film or spun into
filaments and made into material, such as carpet, clothing, etc. It
can be classified into seven types; Polyethylene terephthalate,
High-density polyethylene, Polyvinyl Chloride, Low-density
polyethylene, Polypropylene, Polystyrene, and other.
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): A type of plastic that is
clear or colored transparent with high gloss. It is used for
carbonated beverage bottles, sports drinks, catsup, salad
dressing, peanut butter and jelly jars, microwavable food trays and
some household cleaner containers. Often referred to as No. 1
Plastic.
Polypropylene (PP): Plastic with a smooth surface that cracks
easily when bent and is difficult to scratch. Typical uses are: dairy
tubs, bottle lids, jar lids, straws, deli food containers, syrup bottles,
and medicine bottles. It is hard to collect in marketable quantities
for recycling and has limited uses in its recycled form. Often
referred to as No. 5 Plastic.
Polystyrene (PS): Plastic with a smooth surface that cracks
easily when bent. Used for fast food packaging, styrofoam cups,
plates, cutlery, coat hangers, building insulation and packing
peanuts. It takes up a large part of landfill space because of its
bulk. Often referred to as No. 6 Plastic.
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): Environmentally indestructible plastic
that releases toxic hydrochloric acid when burned. It is used for
food wraps, bags for bedding, medical tubing, siding, window
frames, carpet backing, flooring and containers for personal care
products. Often referred to as V-3 or No. 3 Plastic.
Recyclable: Products or materials that can be collected,
separated, and processed and used as raw materials for new
products.
Recycling: Process of collecting, separating, processing,
marketing, and ultimately using material, in the form of raw
materials or finished goods, that otherwise would have been
thrown away.
Recycling Rate: The mathematical calculation of how successful
a recycling program is. One method is dividing tons diverted from
the trash through recycling and composting by total tons
generated (both waste and recycling combined).
Reduce: To lessen the amount of waste generated.
Reprocessing: Operation of reforming reclaimed materials into
new products.
Resource Consumption: The process of using natural
resources, materials, or finished products to satisfy human wants
or needs.
Reuse: To extend the life of an item by repairing, modifying, or
creating new uses for it, usually in its original form such as using a
soft-drink bottle to hold water, or a coffee can as a container for
nuts and bolts.
Single-Stream Recycling: A system in which all recyclable
materials - fiber (newspaper, cardboard, mixed paper, catalogs,
magazines and junk mail) and containers (glass, steel, aluminum
and plastic) - are placed, unsorted, in one recycling bin and
sorted by state-of-the-art processing equipment at a regional
recycling center.
Solid Waste: Non-soluble, discarded solid materials, including
sewage sludge, municipal garbage, industrial waste, agricultural
refuse, demolition wastes and mining residues.
Solid Waste Management: The handling of activities which
provide for the collection, separation, storage, transport, transfer,
processing, recycling, incineration, treatment and disposal of solid
waste.
Sustainability: Meeting current needs without limiting the ability
of people to meet their needs in the future.
Waste: Unwanted materials remaining from manufacturing
processes, or refuse from humans and animals that are
determined to be of no value and thrown away.
Waste Stream: The flow of waste material from generation to
disposal.